My Virgin DIY Haircut Experience

My mom calls it the re-opening of Ning’s salon, my friends are laughing at the facebook comments, my wife is proud of her work and I’m just relieved that it’s over. Over the weekend, my first DIY Haircut officially concluded.

How the DIY Haircut Came About

It’s funny how working at home changes someone’s priorities. What was once an important activity like getting a haircut all of a sudden isn’t so critical. I remember reminding myself to get a haircut before my birthday. That was January.

I really didn’t think it was that bad, but my wife came up with an idea after she claims that it could potentially give her more nightmares if she had to suffer through my current “look” – How about I just give you a haircut myself?

First Virgin Haircut Experience

Without thinking, I said “SURE” but when it came down to the night that we were going to cut my hair, I was really nervous. She didn’t seem like she even researched how it’s done so what if she messes it up? Worst yet, what if she cut herself? What about me? I only have one head.

Haircut Trauma

I never knew that I could be so uptight because my shoulder muscles actually hurt the next morning from being so tense. While my wife was carefully constructing her masterpiece, I was frozen. I probably looked like a zombie, but my wife was patient the whole way.

DIY Results

After the intense experience (I thought it was anyway), I picked up my glasses and thought “Wow, I look cool.” My wife was so proud and so good. We should do it another time.

Benefits of a DIY Project

It might not be cutting your own hair, but I’m sure many of you have DIY projects that you want to start too. Here’s what my experience taught me that applies to any do-it-yourself project:

Do it Yourself Projects are Scary the First Time

You May Not Know Everything Before You Start

DIY Gets Easier The More You Do It

Eventually It Gets Completed

The Experience is Always Memorable

DIY Projects can Become the Talk of Your Social Circle

DIY is For Sure a Cheaper Option

Doing it Yourself Doesn’t Mean It’s Not as Good

You Can Always Hire Someone to Finish It if It Gets Out of Hand

You Always Have More Control and You Can Be as Picky as You Want

What’s the Progress of Your DIY Project

So don’t be lazy. Make the move. Start that project and see where it takes you. You might like to do it so much that it will become your hobby one day. For some, it might even turn into a business opportunity. Whatever project it is, you will be proud once it’s finished and you can save some cash along the way.

I’ve been cutting my own hair for over 40 yrs most of the time myself! (female) Couldn’t see spending the money for someone else to cut it! When my husband complains about spending at the grocery store, I sometimes remind him how much I’ve saved him by NOT going to hairdresser for years. Also have colored my own hair for 20 yrs. My hair is thin, can cut color in half, and if I get it on sale, can do it for only $3.00! Have gotten him to let me cut his….sometimes. I think I should have been a barber. But did recently break down and let someone else cut and layer (I didn’t know how to layer my own hair), but got it done for $15. (gave her $5 tip 🙂 cause I had never had my hair layered before, and she offered something new.

I’ve been cutting my family’s hair since my boy got his very first cut. It looked like he stepped out of Leave It To Beaver! I KNEW I could do better & I did. Now I’m cutting my husb & mine, sometimes with clippers, sometimes just with a comb & scissors. I also cut our Jack Russell mix’s hair – she went from mutt look to pure-bred glamour & I saved a ton of money! 🙂

If you have no experience cutting hair, etc. do NOT practice on your kids! If you make a mistake or clip them it is traumatic. 40 years later it is still traumatic to think about! Adults who make a mistake–even a bad one–can live with the consequences, get a professional to fix the goofs or whatever without it being traumatic. Of course adults do realize that in time it will grow back in a way that is not available to children..
If you are poor/broke or just want to save money, ask around and you will find that one of your friends either has a real flair for haircuts or, even better, has or at one time had a hairdressing license or went to hairdressing school, etc. and can give good haircuts and can teach you how to give your kids good haircuts… This is especially important if you have children with different ethnicities/different types of hair. The techniques used on one may well not be suitable for another kid.
Do read the books or watch the videos, etc. on how to cut hair before actually cutting your own or someone else’s hair so that you have some notion of what you are doing. If you do, you really can do professional cuts with relatively little practice.
The real money saving may not be with the haircuts, but with hair coloring! My husband has colored mine for 20+ years–originally “cover the gray” that segued into full-blown coloring with highlights… This saves far more than you do on women’s haircuts… PS I get rid of most of his grey as well…

I have had DIY haircuts all my life; in fact, I’ve only ever had one non-DIY haircut and that was when I was 20.

My mom always cut my hair when I was little, she passed away when I was 16, but my sister took up the post when we were in college. The first time she cut my hair (I wanted it just like Rachel’s from Friends), I got A LOT of attention at school, and I suddenly got really popular with the guys. It was quite shocking.

I also cut my own hair once a couple of years ago by looking in the mirror; that did not turn out so well – one side was shorter than the other – but like you, I work at home so it was no big deal. 🙂

The other day I was just thinking of getting my own barber tools and cutting my hair MYSELF rather than have my wife do it. I have tons of friends that buzz their own hair with the right tools. It looks great (not bald), so it’s not difficult 😀

My wife’s been cutting my hair for close to 20 years and probably saved us thousands of dollars. It’s also a great time to have a great conversation and catch-up on her day or week. We’re on our second trimmer in 20 years, so it’s a wonderful investment. The motor finally went out on our first set and the blades got a bit worn out. At $20 bucks I couldn’t justify sending them out to get repaired.

I bought some clippers, figuring I’d trim around my ears, stretch out time between haircuts. Then the attachment fell off and I had a nearly 3 inch strip of near baldness on the side of my head. And I’m female. I gave my clippers away and the money saving venture only cost me about $25. LOLOL

My wife thinks that spending $50 for a haircut is worth it if it means she can avoid getting a cut from me. We used to give hair cuts to each other in our younger struggling days and you have inspired me to start doing this again.

We tried cutting our kid’s hair once but he is too fidgety and we are now scared to take scissors so close to his skin.

My Mom used to cut our hair when my brothers and I were little, but that was years ago. My wife and I have briefly discussed her cutting my hair, but we haven’t taken that step yet. Maybe one day. It sure would save a lot of money. 🙂

Nice DIY article – encouraging for many things beyond cutting hair. As for hair, though, I do cut my own, hehe. Maybe that hippie soul in me : ). As for my husband’s hair, he found a place that will cut it for $2.99.. Plus tip. But still pretty good deal. I’ll have to work him in to trust me with scissors for his hair. Last time I offered, he was a little scared.

There’s a great book, “Haircutting for Dummies” available at my local library.
I checked it out when the boyfriend decided that he’d like me to start cutting his hair. The results were fantastic 🙂 Now I cut his hair about every 3 weeks or so.

About the book title – we are not sure if the Dummies part refers to the person cutting the hair or the one getting it cut. But the book was a great help in getting that nice layered look versus the soup bowl look.

I like this story. I will say the hair cutting can be a fun project for your family. I cut my boy’s hair for almost 2 years now and we both like it. It’s not just to save the $10-15 on haircut but to have more interactive activities with you family.

My wife has cut mine for years. She cuts the kids, too (their hair, I mean). And she does a good job. She has become more nervous with mine since I’m losing most of it, but always look sharp afterwards.

I still get an occasional haircut though, I like to support the gal. She is a single-mom. So don’t forget about that spiraling downward effect if you starting trying to do everyting DIY.

My wife started cutting my hair last summer. We bought a generic electric clippers set for $30. She has done it four times so we have already saved $50. She is getting better, its more convenient, there is no waiting, and I don’t have to make small talk with a stranger.

I liked your diy haircut story. I for the first time ordered a Robocut and cut my own hair last month..and did a pretty good job. I got tired of paying $22 for a haircut that took 10-15 min., plus $4 tip. Then coming home and “fixing it” myself. I am a woman with short hair, straight, no goo or blow dry. Just a simple short haircut. I was scared to death. But it worked out fine and actually was better then what I was paying for as I got it exactly as I like it. I watched the youtube videos on how to do this. Saved $24 first time, and the Robocut cost about $47. I haven’t approached my husband yet, should I? We both have professional jobs outside the home. If I had felt “value” in my professional haircut I would never have been a diy-er. But the value just wasn’t there.

Popular

Reviews

Other Topics

Popular Money Saving Coupons

Information presented on Personal Finance Blog by MoneyNing is intended for informational purposes only and should not be mistaken for financial advice. While all attempts are made to present accurate information, it may not be appropriate for your specific circumstances. Any offers and rates shown on this site can change without notice and may contain information that is no longer valid. For further validation, always visit the official site for the most up-to-date information. This site may receive compensation from companies to offer an opinion about a product or service. We strive to provide honest opinions and findings, but the information is based on individual circumstances and your specific experiences may vary. We also treat your privacy seriously. Please take some time to understand our full policies and disclaimers by clicking here.